


The Man in the Cottage Next Door

by suitesamba



Series: The Cottage Series [1]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-09-18
Updated: 2012-09-18
Packaged: 2017-11-14 12:44:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,469
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/515358
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/suitesamba/pseuds/suitesamba
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p><b>A/N:</b>  This is the sequel to “The Cottage Next Door,” a tale written for  and  in celebration of their milestone birthdays. Several people, including one of the birthday girls, requested a sequel. And there are actually going to be two sequels, this one, and one to come (which has the actual hawt sex in it).<br/><b>Disclaimer:</b> Not mine.  Never were.  Never will be.  No profit is being made from this amateur work.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Man in the Cottage Next Door

“And they named her Dittany….”

Severus, who admittedly had hardly been paying attention to the children’s chatter, looked up from the crime novel he was reading.

“Dittany? Weasley named his daughter _Dittany_?”

James Potter, busy making a hole in the sand large enough to hide in, looked over to where his little sister was making a sand castle next to Severus Snape.

“They named her _Brittany_ , not Dittany,” he said. “Brittany Irelandia.”

“Brittany Irelandia?” repeated Severus. “You have got to be kidding.”

James shrugged. “Dad said Aunt Hermione got to name her whatever she wanted since Uncle Ron named Hugo.”

A week had passed since Harry Potter had ended up in Severus Snape’s cottage with a mild concussion. A week of growing _awareness_ between them. Harry, it turned out, had been taking a week of holiday and had returned to work a few days ago. Ron Weasley watched the Potter children while Harry was at work, and Harry picked them up after he got off and Flooed with them back to the cottage. But last night, the new Weasley baby had made its appearance nearly a month early and Severus had been enlisted to fill in for Ron.

“I wanna ‘nother baby, too,” said Lily, exhaling dramatically. “Why don’t you have babies, Mr. Snape?”

“I lack a uterus,” Severus answered.

“My surrogate had one,” said James. “I bet Dad still has her address. You could owl her.”

Severus looked sidelong at him, and in doing so caught Al—once again—drawing in the sand with a stick. 

“Al, I warned you already.” Severus pointed the business end of his wand at the sand at the boy’s feet and obliterated the drawing. “You are entirely too fascinated with the male anatomy.”

Surprisingly, it was not Harry Potter who found them on the beach an hour later but Neville Longbottom.

“Uncle Nev!” Lily jumped up and ran to meet him, hopping up and down in front of him until he hoisted her up and tossed her into the air, catching her on the way down.

“Lils! You’ve grown a foot since I saw you!”

Severus turned his head to stare up at his Herbology Professor.

“Not a word, Longbottom,” he threatened.

Neville didn’t try too hard to hide his grin. 

Al patted more sand down over Severus’ chest. All that could be seen of the formidable headmaster was a head and a neck. The rest had been buried in the sand.

“This gives an entirely new definition to the word Headmaster,” said Neville. He stood between Severus and the ocean with Lily on his shoulders.

“Longbottom….”

“You know, they say you should always quit while you’re ahead….”

“Professor….”

“One thing I’ve always liked about you, Severus, is that you stand head and shoulders above the….”

“Your face is all red!” said Al.

“Stay still!” warned James. He dumped another bucket of sand over Severus’ midsection and began patting it down. Albus reached over and began to sculpt a little torpedo-shaped mound over his…

“Albus!”

Neville raised an eyebrow.

“Actually, Severus, Harry asked me to come by so you can have access to his cottage. I admit I thought he was joking. He’s incredibly protective of his privacy here.”

“Yea! Mr. Snape gets to come to our house!” Albus jumped up and danced around Severus’ head. 

“Mind your feet,” said Severus with a long-suffering sigh.

Ten minutes later, Severus, James, Al, Lily and Neville stood in front of Harry’s cottage. Of course, Severus couldn’t precisely see the cottage, but the others all acted as if they were looking at something other than the ocean.

Neville turned to Severus.

“Harry Potter and his family are summering at Gellert on the Sea, Wales.”

Severus blinked as the cottage popped into view.

Cottage? The house was two stories tall and had a wide porch surrounding it with hammocks and reading chairs and rockers. Albus had given this mansion to Harry when all he, Severus, had gotten was a tiny little four-roomed hovel?

“Well then, I’ll be on my way,” said Neville, grinning at the gobsmacked look on Severus’ face.

“Wait.” Severus turned to Neville. “How long has Potter been summering here?”

“First time,” said Neville. “He bought the cottage from Aberforth last year.”

“Ah.” Well, then. That was better. No reason to curse Dumbledore in his grave if Harry had actually had to purchase his little seaside delight. At least Severus’ had come to him free and clear through Dumbledore’s estate, no matter that it was a doll house compared to this place.

He was not surprised, when he walked into the cottage, that the place smelled vaguely of goats.

Goats and salt air. An unusual combination. 

It was sparsely furnished, trimmed in light wood and had an overall feeling of airiness and light. Decidedly not dungeonesque. Surprisingly neat and orderly.

He liked it.

French doors opened to a screened porch as wide as the house, facing the sea. James pulled them open and all three children rushed out onto the porch.

The chaos he had thought he would find here was there, on the porch. Books and toys were scattered about, towels hung over chairs, sandals and shoes and socks lay discarded where they were removed. The table—obviously intended for meals—was littered with crayons and parchment and drawing pencils. He glanced down. Ah. More Albus drawings. The boy really was talented with the pencil. He was pleased to see that he’d been drawing ocean creatures and not enormous male genitalia for a change. 

“I asked my dad if a kid can have two dads and he said yes.” Al was suddenly standing right next to him, shuffling through the papers on the table. “So I drew this. Do you like it?”

Oh my.

“I’m wearing clothes,” he managed.

“’Course you are,” answered Al. “People wear clothes to weddings.”

“Weddings,” repeated Severus. He stared at the picture Al had handed him. 

“That’s embarrassing, Al,” said James. He and Lily were sitting on the floor getting ready to play Exploding Snap. “And I thought Dad said not to show that one to Mr. Snape.”

_Oh, did he now?_

“But I drew it _for_ Mr. Snape,” protested Al. “And it’s not ‘barrassing. There aren’t any willies in it at all. Well, under the trousers and dress I suppose, but none _showing_.”

“It’s a fine drawing,” reassured Snape. Why he felt the need to reassure the boy he didn’t know. “Whose hand am I holding?”

Because the tall, stern, big-nosed, straight-haired man on the left was definitely him. He was wearing proper black robes in the drawing and as Al had said, there were no willies in sight.

“Dad’s!” exclaimed Al. “See, he’s the girl because weddings always have a girl. Rose said so. Aunt Hermione said they can have two girls, or two boys or a boy and a girl, and Uncle George said that sometimes there might be two boys _and_ a girl, or even _three_ boys but Rose is pretty smart so I put the dress on Dad.”

Severus did _not_ like how his pants tightened at the thought of Harry in a dress. Not one bit. Could he really have a dress-up kink? He wasn’t too fond of the veil, though. It hid Harry’s identify altogether and had a rather silly Queen Victoria-style crown atop. Who would want to cover up those lovely eyes?

He swallowed. Cleared his throat. James was watching him closely.

“Well, then.” He placed the picture back on the table. “Nice work, Albus. Nice work indeed.” He shuffled some papers so it was at least partially covered.

“No!” Al dug it out again. “You don’t understand, Mr. Snape. I made it for you. You need to take it home and stick it to the wall.”

“Stick it to the wall?”

“You don’t have to use a permanent sticking charm,” said James in a conspiratorial, reassuring voice. “Just a regular ol’ one.”

“Do you like the flowers?” Al looked earnestly up at Severus. “I didn’t know what kind to make so Dad drew one for me.”

Severus hadn’t noticed the flowers. He looked back down at the drawing. Harry was holding a bouquet of white lilies.

“Your Father drew one for you?”

“Yep. They’re lilies. Lily’s named for them, just like I’m named for you and Dumbledore and James is named for our grandpa that’s dead that we never knew because he died trying to protect Dad from Voldemort when he was a baby and now he’s dead.”

Severus cringed. He _still_ cringed when he heard that name. Even though the way Albus put it, a baby Voldemort had been trying to kill his father. 

“Lily was your grandmother’s name too,” he heard himself saying.

“Guess we’re all named after dead people,” said Al. He smiled up at Severus. “’Cept you, of course.”

“And Aunt Luna,” added James. “Lily Luna, remember?” He seemed a bit put out that both his namesakes were deceased.

When Harry returned home at half six, Severus and the children were sitting attentively at the table on the porch. The table had been cleared off, the toys and clothes put away and the room straightened up. Severus was dealing from a deck of cards. Each of them had a pile of Bertie Botts Every Flavored Beans in front of them. Severus’ was far bigger than the rest, and Lily hardly had a pile to speak of.

“A three for James. What do you say James? Another?” Severus’ voice was cool and professional.

“Hit me,” said James, peaking at the overturned card on which the three rested.

“And it’s an eight,” said Severus, looking shrewdly at the boy. “Hold?”

“Hold!” said James, waving his hands over his cards in near panic so it was obvious to everyone except Lily that he had a ten or a face card.

“And here’s a six to go with that Jack,” said Severus when Al requested a card.

Lily, already holding a Queen, asked for another. She was dealt a nine. “Hit me!” she screeched, in fair imitation of her brothers.

Severus raised his eyebrows and dealt her another Queen.

“Pair of Queens, I win!” she yelled. “Hi Dad! We’re playing Blackjack!”

Severus turned his head, ready to smirk at Harry. The smirk changed into something else entirely when he saw Harry in his Auror robes.

They were a thing of beauty. Close-fitting to the waist then flaring out a bit, open from the waist down to allow for quick movement and easier broom riding. 

He was relatively sure he kept his mouth closed.

“Poker, Severus?”

“Winner of each hand gets to make everyone else eat one of their beans,” said Al.

“Or can pick one of his own beans and make one of the losers eat it. Mr. Snape made me eat bogeys.” James shuddered at the memory.

“I get to eat lots of candy, Daddy,” said Lily, nodding her head in approval.

Harry raised one eyebrow, shook his head and started to unbutton his robes. He pulled them off and draped them over the porch swing.

“Deal me in.”

~*~

“Are you certain she’s asleep?”

“They’re all asleep. I told you already. I know my kids, Severus. No one else is going to get up and ask for a glass of water. Once they’re out, they’re out.”

“If you say so,” Snape muttered. He didn’t sound like he believed it.

“The stars are beautiful tonight.”

Severus looked out over the ocean. “Indeed. We are far from the closest town. There are no Muggle lights to spoil the view.”

Harry had walked over to the window and stood beside Severus, looking seaward. “Thanks for taking care of the kids today. Ron should be up to having them again by Monday. He’ll bring Hugo and Rose over here during the day so Hermione can rest up. Her mum and Molly will come by to help with the baby.”

“Did they really name her…?”

“Brittany Irelandia,” sighed Harry. “Yes. They really did. She’s got a mop of carrot red hair too so she’ll stand out even without the name.”

Severus watched the moonlight play on the side of Harry’s face. He lifted his hand, half-tentative, then brought it forward and tucked a strand of hair behind Harry’s ear. Harry raised his face to Severus, and without further prelude they were kissing. Severus groaned as he wrapped his hands around Harry, covering his mouth with his own, pressing into him. Finally. Sating the need that had been building throughout the Poker game, and through dinner and play time and story time and bed time. But now, now it was _adult_ time.

Fuck! He was kissing _Harry Potter._

Harry’s arms wrapped around Severus’ shoulders and he kissed Severus back greedily.

“You taste so good,” he said breathlessly, nuzzling at Severus’ neck. “You taste just like I always thought you would, like cloves and night air and herbal tea.”

“You thought about kissing me?” breathed Severus, squeezing Harry’s arse with one hand and delving past the waistline of Harry’s trousers with the other.

“All the time,” said Harry. “I spent most of sixth year wanking to your picture.” He attacked Severus’ mouth again, and Severus opened to him, and moaned appreciatively.

“What’s wanking, Daddy?”

A beam of light out of nowhere suddenly illuminated their faces.

“Mmmff,” said Severus as he pulled away from Harry and whirled around to face the intruder.

“Al? Albus Severus Potter! What are you doing? Where did you get that Muggle torch?” Harry turned toward his son and adjusted his pants.

“Grandpa Arthur gave it to me for Christmas, remember? With a lifetime supply of bat’ries? Hi, Mr. Snape. Why were you kissing my Dad? And what’s wanking? How do you wank to a picture?”

Harry and Severus exchanged a look. Al moved the torch’s beam over to Harry’s face.

“Anybody want some ice cream?”

~*~

“Tomorrow, then?”

Harry kissed Severus one more time at the cottage door, working his fingers into Severus’ hair, kneading his scalp even as his lips pressed against Severus’ and his tongue grazed his teeth.

“You taste of ice cream.”

“So do you.”

“Your son is incorrigible.”

“So I’m told.”

“You are sure Miss Lovegood will take them tomorrow?”

“She owes me. Yeah, I’m sure.”

Severus backed away from Harry, sweeping his eyes over him one more time, then turning around and heading for his cottage.

“Severus?”

He stopped and turned, looking back at Harry expectantly.

“Severus, have you ever had sex on the beach?”

A sudden vision of Burt Lancaster and whoever that actress was in _From Here to Eternity_ passed through his mind.

He shook his head.

“Not yet,” he said.

Then Harry Potter leaned against the doorframe and smiled and Severus Snape went home to the cottage next door.

And wanked.

 

_To Be Continued..._


End file.
